~ Finding Happiness Through Fitness, Food, and Fun

Category Archives: City Life

I am sure everyone is sick of hearing about Irene. I know I am. I am glad that it did not end up being as bad as predicted. So, what did I do over the hurricane weekend?

Friday night Bryan and I went out for dinner fearing cabin fever over the weekend. We checked out The Organic Grill in the East Village. I love the decor and the bright green!

This place has an extensive menu and they serve breakfast all day. Holla! This makes ordering hard though. We sat there for a good 20 minutes trying to decide.

Bryan got the vegetable pierogi made with spelt flour and stuffed with tofu, potato and onion with sauteed kale and a cashew cream sauce. He is a pierogi connoisseur and he said these were the freshest he has had. He was skeptical of the vegan version and the spelt dough, but was pleasantly surprised how much he liked them.

I got a daily special, the Millet Veggie Burger with homemade hummus spread, grilled and pickled onions and sprouts. I subbed my home fries for sauteed kale. And I ate the burger off the bun salad style. I loved the burger it was moist on the inside and just crispy enough on the outside. I would love to try their signature burger too with is made with brown rice, sunflower seeds, mushrooms and carrots. I am a big fan of restaurants that make their own veggie burgers from scratch. You can even buy them frozen from the restaurant to take home.

Then, we found this crazy used music store. It was literally packed full top to bottom with cd’s. Only in New York. You couldn’t walk through without knocking things down. The store is owned and operated by this adorable little old man. He was planning to work over the weekend still. I have to say I was pretty worried about him. I hope he didn’t end up working.

I went spinning yesterday morning (thanks being open and having classes NYSC!) and then I hunkered down with a huge bowl of cherry banana creamy oat bran + egg whites and The Pioneer Woman’s new show on Food Network.

I love the Pioneer Woman because she is a self taught cook and an amazing food blogger. Her pictures are gorgeous. And watching her show you see why. Did you see the size of her camera lens?!?? I had a moment of tech envy.

Later that evening we had a game night/hurricane party with all our friends in the building. First, I whipped up a tofu scramble for dinner with some left over ingredients in the fridge and a bunch of spices.

1/5 block of tofu crumbled with salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and red pepper flakes. It is just like scrambled eggs.

Served over left over whole wheat couscous with spinach + cherry tomatoes

Then, there were card games and mimosas. Weird, I know. We were making do with what we had.

It was a fun night indoors and catching up with all my medical student friends.

Today, Bryan and I braved the wind to go out and survey the post hurricane damage. There was a huge tree down in Union Square. And besides some small branches and trash on the streets/sidewalks, there was not too much damage in and around the east side of Manhattan.

It was really windy!

There were actually a number of places open down in the East Village. We ended up heading over to a personal favorite of ours, Mamoun’s Falafel, for a late lunch. I got a lentil soup and Bryan got a falafel platter. This place has really good and pretty authentic middle eastern food. Bonus points – it is super cheap. More bonus points, although it is cheap, everything is made fresh and on site.

There still was not much open since the public transportation system is shut down in NYC, but it was nice to get out and walk around a couple of miles because of all the sitting indoors. With that said, it was also nice to catch up on sleep and relaxing over the weekend. I do not do much sitting still, so at least the storm was good for that.

I also took advantage of the extra time indoors to do some blog work. I got my facebook page up and running! I made a grocery list/meal plan with some new recipes to share, plus a lot of good topics that I am looking forward to discussing with you this week!

I originally thought I wanted to be an every meal blogger. But with my schedule and the amount of time it takes me to construct a post, it is just not realistic. Plus I’m pretty sure half my daily eats are not that interesting anyway. So, I am joining the What I Ate Wednesday club started by Peas and Crayons. I will definitely post note worthy foods/ recipes other days, but this WIAW post gives a little insight to what a random whole might look like.

I actually have not had ice cream in a really long while. About 2 weeks I think and we were walking all over the place tonight. When we came across the gelato – I had to have it. So. Good.

For dinner this evening it was so nice Bryan and I wanted to get out. It has been raining for days. The weather was perfect tonight – 70’s with a nice light breeze. We headed down to Chelsea Market to grab food to take over to The Highline Park. Honestly, I was hungry and in a pretty grumpy mood until we got to the park. It was too perfect to be in a funk.

This was our first time over there this summer. It really is one of the best spots in the city. There are these big wooden lounge chair you can lay in and look up at the sky. This is where we enjoyed our gelato. It was so peaceful and relaxing there. I really recommend visiting it.

And they have a skating rink! Bryan cannot skate to save his life. I told him he is lucky I have a knee injury, otherwise I would be all over that! I would totally rock some shorts and tube socks and go roller skating. Looked like everyone was having a blast.

I am off to bed now. It almost midnight already! Tomorrow is my last of work for the week. I am off to Philly bright and early Friday morning for Healthy Living Summit!

What is the best thing you ate today??My Thai pumpkin dish was pretty good (yay for lunch leftovers!), but clearly the gelato was the winner. Ice there is ice cream involved there is no competition. It is my favorite food.

We have been eating out way too much though. Once I get back from Philly this weekend it is back to cooking! I actually have a bunch of recipes up my sleeve that I came up with some part of on my own. I am pretty excited to try them out.

My bike has been cooped up in the corner of my room all year. That is no place for a bike. I’ve only ever rode down the East River Parkway until just past the South Street Seaport then I get nervous and turn around.

Yesterday morning, I left without a definite plan. I ended up going 10 miles, according to my Garmin, by the time I was done. I even went cross-town for the first time, and rode with the NYC traffic. My brakes work every well, by the way. Thank God! There were two close calls where I needed them. But I survived!!

This ride reminded just how beautiful the city is and how much of it I never get to. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures. I was too nervous and excited for pictures. I just kept pedaling and didn’t stop until I got home. I rode through the Seaport just as they were setting up for the market. Then, I headed to Battery Park right at the tip of the island. The view of the Statue of Liberty was awesome and it was the perfect time of day. As much as I wanted to stop and lay on the grass lawn for a while, dim sum was calling my name, and my stomach was definitely responding.I was starved!I would have skipped showering just to be able to eat sooner, but I was dripping sweat. Already, it was hot and humid.

Dim sum falls under the brunch category. Brunch is my absolute favorite meal and my favorite part of the weekend. Whether we go out or make it ourselves. If you ever do dim sum in Chinatown, I recommend getting there earlier. Bryan and I arrived at Oriental Garden around noon. Between 11 and 12 is right before it gets ridiculously busy. Next door is Jing Fong, the big dim sum place, it already had a huge line. Oriental Garden is smaller, not as hectic, the staff is nicer, and in my opinion the food is much better. We split all our favorites. Started with steamed shrimp in rice noodle, bok choy, and turnip cake. I love the turnip cake.

We also ended up getting steamed pork bun and Bryan got chive dumplings. Everything usually comes with 3 pieces. Bryan takes 2 and I take 1. This keeps portion controls in check and still allows me to try everything.

After eating, we just wandered around exploring. We really haven’t been down to Chinatown in at least 6 months. I always for get how awesome it is. Food is beyond great, the atmosphere is always crazy, and the groceries are so damn cheap! I know produce shopping in Chinatown sounds sketchy. So, I did some research. The vendors, that means shops and street stands, all get their produce from Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx. This produce wholesaler happens to be the largest distributor in the world. It is also where a lot of the grocery stores and restaurants get their wholesale produce.

So it is safe to buy produce in Chinatown. Let your wallets rejoice! And they are not importing non-FDA approved food or growing it in their backyards or anything. It is actually really fresh and ready to eat ripe. That is how they are able to sell so cheap. Ripe right now produce is cheaper. Supermarkets want less than ripe food, so they have time to sell it. The locals in Chinatown are shopping habits like Europeans. They buy daily and they buy fresh. They want it ripe now because it is better eaten fresh, than stored for days. On that note, if you are looking to only organic products, then Chinatown is not the place for you. But if you are looking for something comparable to anything grocery store – and probably better quality, for a better price then definitely check it out. There are several chain grocery stores in the city that always have crappy produce, and I have never had anything bad from Chinatown.

If it was not evident by that speech, I love Chinatown! Here is what we walked away with:

1 pound bok choy – $1.19

1 eggplant – $0.99

Package of Firm tofu – $1.09

1 lb of cherries $3 (these were sweet and delicious! And the purchase I am most proud of

½ lb of fresh cooked shrimp – $3

Bryan for 2 lobsters for $10

And no day out is complete without ice cream. Before heading back we had to hit up The Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. I highly recommend the taro or the black sesame. Sounds weird but they are both surprisingly delicious. No words really. Some of my favorite ice cream. Both flavors actually remind me a little of cookies and cream.

Welcome to Freckles & Spice! If you happened to stumble upon my blog before the change, I was going by A Healthy Attitude for the first 4-5 months of blog life. To those of you have been following – last change! I promise. I am finally satisfied! Before I kept looking at the blog and I liked it, but it just did not scream me. This feels right. So, now that is out of the let’s get on to the good stuff.

This heat wave is everywhere. Everyone is talking about it and it is inescapable. But for good reason – I still can’t even comprehend looking up the weather and seeing the actual temperature is in the triple digits! Thank god there seems to be a break tomorrow. So what do you do during a heat wave? I take my workouts indoors, eat out because who wants to cook when its 100 degrees, and eat ice cream, lots of ice cream. Not that I need a heat wave for ice cream – it is my one true weakness. I remember one time, back in Syracuse, it was chilly and rainy but it didn’t matter. I told my mom I was literally going to die if I did not have gelato. I was alone in this…

The picture from above is from my homemade dessert Friday night – Strawberry Banana Soft Serve. Sorry personal Hamilton Beach Blender, I know it is hot out but you must get to work! Into the blender went: ~3/4 medium frozen banana, 4 frozen strawberries, a bit of unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and a touch of vanilla extract. Blend away and then I added a couple bits of dark chocolate and Bare Naked granola. No sweetener necessary. This treat is the perfect sweetness just from the fruit!

Saturday after lifting/spinning at NYSC, cleaning, and some laundry, Bryan and I decided to venture out into the heat. Our plan was to walk to down to Union Square to go to the movies. The square is about a mile and is usually a quick walk. It was so hot we had to keep stopping in stores along the way. We stopped into Beecher’s Cheese and sampled some curds. They are super salty, but good.

Bryan loves cheese. I surprised him with it during the grand opening a few weeks ago. You can see them making the cheese.

Stopped for more frozen fruit soft serve before the movie! This one is not homemade, but from Soft Serve Fruit Company. This is the new location in Union Square which is closer to me. Good or bad thing – def. good! We we went to the UES one on my birthday earlier this year. I ordered blueberry soft serve topped with coconut and pomegranate. Really hit the spot and cooled me down.

At Regal, the theaters were packed! Should have known because of the heat. Both Super 8 and Captain America were sold out. So we settled for Horrible Bosses. After 30 minutes of waiting in the theater the movie reel was broken! Ahhh! But now what are we going to do indoors! The good news – they gave everyone each 2 free tickets for the inconvenience. Bought 2 tickets, left with 4!

We spend the rest of the evening browsing strand (got a new cookbook for $8), coffee shop/french patisserie, and astor place wines. We had about another mile walk down to NoLita for our dinner plans.

Dinner! Finally! This was the highlight of the day for sure. Rice in Nolita.

We were watching a documentary on the History Channel about the history of rice. Did you know there are over 80,000 different types of rice?! Insane, right? I can think of like 10…maybe. The featured this restaurant, which I have actually heard a lot about. Bryan and I were really itching to go and it was definitely worth the walk! The decor inside is unique. It is definitely kind of antique-ish with wooden tables and chairs, big old bolts in the walks,low lighting, and cream colored fabric lights. There are giant rice bags lining the rafters. It is really cozy and cute, even though my description does not sound like it.

The menu is ridiculous. It took me 20 minutes to decide, at least. Everything looks good. You get a dish like lentil stew, black beans, curry, and everything comes with your choice of fun rice dish. I finally decided on the Tofu Meatballs (with both sweet and spicy sauces) with the Thai Black Rice with Edamame peas. I loved the rice dish. When I was just cooking for one, I used to eat steamed brown rice with edamame for dinner all the time.

Both dishes were $7. They have small and large sizes and we both ordered the small, which ended up being the perfect size. The large would be good to share. Rice also has a bunch of appetizers and sides that all sound good. We will without a doubt be going back! We want to bring our friends. Bryan said it was the best meal he has had in a long time. He already has plans to get what I ordered when we go back, which I have a feeling will be sometime soon.

Both the black and red rice we got are very nutritious, being rich in the the powerful antioxidants, anthocyanin, and high in fiber. Like brown rice, they both still have the hull on the grains, but they quicker and have more bran than brown rice.

Well, I think that is about all I can fit into this post. Bryan is on call all day today, so I have plans to treat myself to a brunch/lunch I’ve been dying to try and trip to Trader Joe’s. Enjoy the last day of the heat!

This was literally the best cake I’ve had! It tasted like wedding cake. I couldn’t stop eating it! I even dropped some crumbs (not many, don’t worry!) and my cat got them. This resulted in a sugar high for her. She was literally bouncing off the walls.

And enjoying the city alot!

Medical school party at Frying Pan:

Washington Square Park

Yes, this is me dancing with street performers. Best night in awhile!

Basically, I have just been really enjoying summer. I am really excited about this because, I used to hate summer. I hated summer because I was not comfortable in my own skin and summer made it worse. Being overweight is more than just how you look, it is how you feel. I felt uncomfortable all the time and was always hiding. Summer made it harder to hide. Hot weather made it harder to hide under clothes, summer parties made it harder to hide from pictures, and summer activities made it harder to hide how out of shape I was. I was embarrassed to move and be seen.

Now, all I want to do is be outside in the heat! Everyday on my lunch break I just soak up the sun and wish I didn’t have to go back inside. I own shorts! I have not owned shorts in years. Tank tops! I even went out and got a bathing suit, and I actually wanted one! It is a one piece, but mostly because I want to start lap swimming so I needed a functional one.

I love summer now. I love the sun, I love the clothes, I love morning runs, and getting sweaty. And I definitely love the fresh summer fruits and vegetables! I’ve been eating my weight in cantaloupe and snap peas. I am no longer hiding and uncomfortable. That goes for both my body and myself in general. Being healthy really has made me happy.

My apologies for being MIA the past TWO WEEKS! NO excuses. It is kind of ironic though that as soon as I decide to try and be an every meal poster I go missing for weeks. Ridiculous, I know. Sometimes life gets in the way and sometimes you lose your way for bit. But I’m back for good and with a renewed sense of self. More on that later.

So this weekend was great! I had sort of a 3-day weekend. I did babysit and I did end up at the lab at some point all three days. But it was still good. I think the weather by passed Spring all together and went straight for summer.

Bryan is still in studying mode. All day everyday 9am – midnight. It is kind of depressing, especially over a holiday weekend. But only 9 more days to go! Then, I need to crack down and study for the GRE. Sigh…c’est la vie.

Anywho – this weekend was Memorial Day and despite living in a tiny city apartment, being on a budget, and Bryan being extremely focused on this test, I was determined to celebrate. So off to Bed, Bath, and Beyond I went in search of a grill pan for the stove top. Then, picked up some fresh parsley and cheese sausage from Eataly. And some zucchini from the farmers market. Some good old fashion American grilling was had! Exactly want I wanted.

This particular pan was only $25 (not bad, not bad). It is also a griddle pan on the reverse side for things like pancakes! I’m pleased with this purchase. I’ve been craving grilled veggies and burgers. Seems as though summer is definitely upon us.

Check out Bryan using his hour break to do something manly and fun. Usually, I do the cooking but I think he enjoyed this. He seemed excited about it anyway.

We paired our grilled items with a simple salad: spinach, tomatoes, and balsamic. We were both pleased and surprised that we were able to satisfy our holiday hankering. Who knew you could get a “grill out” meal and atmosphere in a 10 by 10 box?!

This meal was on Sunday and I kept the spirit up on Monday, the true holiday. Monday morning I decided to catch up on blog reading. Not only had I not been posting, I have not had much time to read anything either. I saw a recipe on Kath Eats for her Strawberry Basil Pasta Salad. Pasta Salad – sounds like a summer cook out meal to me. And I had most of the ingredients from the market too, including fresh picked Strawberries. I adapted the recipe a little bit. Kath’s version called for pesto. I was not in the mood to clean the food processor so I combined all the ingredients for the pesto as a quick dressing.

I have to say, I enjoyed this a lot. It was light, but filling. And really colorful. Perfect summertime meal! There is just something about the way balsamic vinegar and strawberries mix together. And the pasta brings it together perfectly. Way to go Kath! Her blog has really become an essential part of my meal planning/ cooking inspiration. Here is what I did:

Toss these ingredients:

1 1/4 c. brown rice pasta, cooked and chilled

1 c. chopped strawberries

1/2 c. cannelloni beans (Kath used navy beans)

1/2 chopped cucumber

In make shift pesto dressing (I didn’t measure anything):

Balsamic Vinegar, roughly 3-4 T

1 T Olive Oil (I did measure this, I’m stingy with my oils)

lemon juice

grated Parmesan cheese

salt, pepper

And serve over spinach and basil leaves. The basil leaves are necessary! They really provide an essential flavor. We also topped our salads with crumbly feta and sunflower seeds. Chilling everything for bit before adding it to the greens would probably allow for the dressing to be soaked up. We just did not have time for that with Bryan’s schedule. But I would recommend it for more flava.

I will return later with an update from what I was up to the past 2 weeks of silence.

Here’s to the start of a shorter work week! Ciao

Welcome!

Hi! I am Ashley. A life long food enthusiast, but with a newly developed healthy attitude. This blog is a place for discussion about healthy living, as well as a resource for the science behind healthy choices. Freckles & Spice is my commitment to stay on the path towards healthy and active lifestyle and to rediscover myself, all while balancing the fast paced, hectic life of a professional twenty-something living in the city. Thanks for stopping by!

First time here? Check out this post for a little introduction to what you will find here.